New section of I-95 in Delray, Boynton unraveling

Crews are repaving I-95 in both directions from Linton Blvd. to Boynton Beach Blvd.

A: The Florida Department of Transportation has no plans to remove the signs.

State law requires drivers to yield to pedestrians at crosswalks and intersections, regardless of whether they are marked. On the other hand, pedestrians must obey "Don't Walk" signs and are prohibited from crossing streets between intersections.

The DOT studied pedestrian and driver behavior at the crosswalks with the signs in both cities and found driver compliance with the law increased anywhere from 2 percent in Fort Lauderdale to as much as 60 percent in Delray Beach.

"In all cases, driver and pedestrian compliance improved," said Jonathan Overton, a DOT engineer. "We believe these signs are an enchancment to unsignalized marked crosswalks because they can help inform motorists of the pedestrian crossing law at the location and time they need reminding."

The DOT has installed more of the signs in the past year at the request of other municipalities.

"In some of those cases, however, we have denied their installations due to nearby driveway conflicts," Overton said. "If turning traffic occurs near where the sign would be installed, we will not install them because the signs would likely be knocked down continuously."

Q: Construction on Royal Palm Boulevard west of State Road 7 in Margate was recently finished. But the posted 30-mph speed limit during the construction has remained. Is this intentional or will a more appropriate speed limit be posted soon? Also, the traffic light at Northwest 65th Avenue and Royal Palm is timed so poorly that eastbound and westbound traffic is always stopped while north-south trafffic stays green for extended periods, even when no vehicles are present. A westbound left turn signal also is activated, regardless if there are any vehicles waiting to turn left. Who can be contacted to review the timing on this light?

Robert Kaye, Coral Springs

A: It looks finished, but it's not. Therefore, the 30-mph speed limit signs remain in the construction zone on Royal Palm Boulevard between One Mile Canal and just east of Rock Island Road.

Later this month, crews will put down permanent striping. By early January the project will be officially completed and new 40-mph speed limit signs will be up, said Reddy Chitepu, Margate engineer.

Broward County is in charge of traffic signals. County engineers are re-timing signals on a portion of Royal Palm Boulevard and Copans Road from Rock Island Road to Federal Highway this month, so you should see some improvement by January.

If you still have concerns, you can contact the Broward County Traffic Engineering Division at http://www.broward.org/traffic. Click on the "contact us" link on the upper left side of the page or the "green lights program" for more information on the county's efforts to re-time traffic signals on major roads.

Q: I frequently visit my son and his family who live in Pembroke Pines. His mother-in-law lives farther east off Pembroke Road. A continuing frustration when any of us drive in that area is that you can't cross Interstate 75 on Pembroke Road, which ends on other side of the interstate. This forces traffic onto two of South Florida's most overburdened roads, Pines Boulevard and Miramar Parkway. Has there been any further discussion of building an overpass at Pembroke Road?

Bob Sanchez, Tallahassee

A: Construction of the $22 million Pembroke Road overpass is scheduled to begin in the second quarter of 2011 and will take about two years to complete.

Broward County will build the four-lane overpass, which will not include ramps to I-75.

County engineers, however, are currently making some changes to the design of the overpass to accommodate future plans to connect Pembroke Road to express toll lanes that will be built in the median of I-75, similar to the express lanes in place on I-95 in Miami-Dade County.

The I-75 express lanes are currently under study as part of a bigger review of improvements that could be made to the interstate between I-595 and the Palmetto Expressway.

A public hearing on the I-75 study is tentatively scheduled for June 2011. For more information on plans for I-75, go to http://www.i-75vision.com.

Q: There are no street lights on Lyons Road between Boynton Beach Boulevard and Hypoluxo Road. The reflectors in the pavement are buried so deep that they do not reflect. What can be done about this situation?